Zakera 24th July 2189 3:16am CTD
We had to walk through the Citadel. The Kodiak was severely damaged beyond repair and there was no other means of transportation. No one spoke any words unless they were commands. Everyone was so solemn about what they had witnessed.
After it happened I could feel something cold grip my heart. I'd met James in school a little after the whole Ashley thing happened. We all got along instantly. For a while it was just James, Garrus, Jacob and me. I could tell that Garrus was taking it hard. James was someone I could talk about anything with. He had this incredible ability to make everyone smile no matter what. James was a truly good person.
James Vega just gave his life in order to save us. We've always said that we'd die for each other or that we'll give our lives for the greater good. But to say it and to do it are two completely different things.
DAMNIT! I know he did what he felt was right but… fucking hell why did Cerberus have to do this. I'm lucky I always keep my heart meds on me otherwise I'd just be a liability. Cerberus is going to pay for killing my friend. They'll pay for all of this.
Steve was taking it really hard. When we met up with him he was in tears. James and Steve didn't have much family outside each other. They grew really close. I know how he feels right now. Everything seems so empty and hollow. Nothing seems to matter even your own life. All you want to do is tear apart everything you see but you know you can't. You wish that you could switch places so that they could live. That emptiness in the centre of your chest becomes this white, hot unbearable pain. And the worst part is that you know that there's nothing you can do about it.
"Hello is anyone there?" I heard my Omni-tool say. I remember it's still on privacy mode
"Mum is that you?"
"Thank God you are still alive. Where's Rylee?"
"She's walking behind me"
"Walking?"
"We met some Cerberus MECH's. They shot us down"
"Oh my God is everyone alright?"
I felt a chill go down my spine. James was like a son to her since he didn't have a mother of his own. "We all survived the crash… but there's something I need to tell you"
"What is it?"
I took a deep breath "I'm sorry mum but James…. He's…. James is dead. He gave his life to… he bought us time to get away"
There was silence on the other line for a few seconds "Nathan I'm so sorry. But we have to push through. He wouldn't want us to die." She tried to sound assuring but the slight hitch in her voice gave her away
"Are there any problems on your side?" she asked
"Rylee dislocated her shoulder but she can't pop it back and Kaidan has a concussion. Everything else is minor"
"Watch out for your sister"
"I will"
"Before I forget I called because Titus has a plan. Everything is in place and you just need to get there. David has managed to prevent Docking Bay D24 from being locked down. There is going to be an Alliance ship there with the name SSV Normandy SR-3. Use these authorisation codes to get in. The girls and I should reach the Normandy in 20 minutes" she informed before giving me the codes
I heard some voices in the background "Yes it is him…. Really now…. Alright calm down… Nathan someone here wants to talk to you"
"Hey Nate… I heard about Muscles. How are you holdin' up?" Jen asked with concern clear in her voice
I felt this overwhelming surge of pride when she asked that question. James had been as much a friend to her as he had to me. Him and Jen became really close. She placed a level of trust in him that I only associated with myself. She was probably hurting a lot from the news and the first thing she asks is if I'm okay. She's grown so much since I've met her.
"I'm doin' good. Well as good as I can considering"
"I'm sorry about muscles"
"Just one more thing that Cerberus will pay for"
"I wish I was there with you guys. All I've been doing is sitting here while Hannah gets her shit together"
"I'm really grateful for what you're doing Jen."
"Just be sure to show me how grateful you are when we meet up"
My mum started gagging and started yelling on the other side of the line. She probably thinks we've been fucking like rabbits "Alright, alright… your old lady is telling me to wrap this up. Don't get killed dumbass! When this is over…"
"I know" I responded. The line was cut soon after but not before Miranda could speak to Kaidan.
"OK people we know where we're going. D24 is an Alliance dock so it shouldn't be too far from here. In fact" I checked my Omni-tool so that I could see exactly how far away it is "Good its only 1.25 miles from here. We should get there in less than half an hour" I declared
"Nate that docking bay is just a little past C-Sec. Getting past there will not be easy" Garrus warned
"We don't have much of a choice. That's the only way I know how to get to that docking bay. At least not without blowing a hole into the keeper tunnels."
"We might just have to run through and pray for the best"
"Let's just hope that things go our way for once"
We continued through the wreckage towards the C-Sec building. We were down to me, Garrus, Steve, Sam, Oriana, Jade, Tali, Kaidan, Rylee, Kolyat and Thane. Of that list the only people that are combat ready are Thane, Garrus, Kaidan, Tali and I. Rylee fucked up her shoulder during the fight with the big ass MECH. Kaidan is using his adrenaline amp to try and get over his concussion but I'm going to keep him at a distance. I'm also suffering from a small concussion and Garrus is holding his sides. Thane's back is causing him problems which isn't a surprise considering he hit the wall hard. Tali hung back to protect everyone else so she was still fresh so she would have to be in the next battle.
We were in sight of C-Sec Academy and I braced myself. Just beyond this was Docking Bay D24 and our salvation. My mum, Jack, Miranda and any other survivors are probably beyond this point. Protecting the non-combatants was going to be a tall order here
As we approached the building I could hear gunfire. Please tell me that the Cerberus assholes are killing each other. Getting closer it became clear that it was Aria's gang fighting with Cerberus.
"Come on let's help them" I instructed. Luckily for me Aria had shown up in force so we had a chance of taking C-Sec. But even if we did there would be no point in keeping it. Cerberus is everywhere and they would have more than enough man power to deal with whoever held it.
Nyreen and Aria were leading from the front. I charged to join them. Garrus hung at the back with his sniper rifle and Thane disappeared. Tali and Kaidan were assisting us with tech attacks and handling the air drones.
"How gracious you are to bless us with your presence" Aria drawled whilst tossing a flare
"I am gracious aren't I. So gracious that I'm offering you a way out" I grunted before ducking for cover.
Just when I thought that things were getting better and we were getting the upper hand. Reality decides to make an appearance in the form of a 50tonne MECH.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT" Nyreen and Aria yelled simultaneously
"DOESN'T MATTER JUST KILL IT" I roared
That would be easier said than done considering just how much it has cost to take even three of them out. Before we could react it started spraying rocket grenades around. Unfortunately most of Aria's crew were too slow to react and were blown to bits.
Watching my schoolmates get decimated sent a chill down my spine and it made me feel empty. It also spurred me to act by throwing something ate the MECH. I used that emptiness to reach for something. I could only feel it when I felt this eerie calmness. I concentrated my biotics into my fist and threw it at the MECH. A brilliant purple and blue explosion followed. Since when the fuck could I do that?
"When did you learn how to use Flare?" Aria asked
"Just now to be honest" I answered. The explosion had cracked the glass which protected the pilot.
"ATLAS 14 compromised. I repeat ATLAS 14 compromised" the pilot hollered. So that's what they're called. ATLAS
"GARRUS NOW" I yelled hoping the sniper would get my meaning. Just as I expected he did. The pilots head exploded.
A trooper saw that the pilot was dead and began to approach the MECH. I charged toward him and smashed him against the wall.
Apparently saying that the MECH was compromised was code for every operative to go to its location. That could be useful later but not now. I found myself in the middle of a sea of Cerberus.
I began to bring my biotic power to the surface. I let it encapsulate me before letting it burst. The biotic Maelstrom did the trick since I was no longer completely surrounded. Aria and Nyreen were doing their part.
I charged to the wall on the far side of the room. When I crashed on the ground I heard someone shriek. It was shrill but at the same time it crooned. It sounded Turian.
"Who's there?" I called out
"Nate is that you" she said crawling out of the cupboard on the ground.
"Solana what are you doing here?"
"I came looking for daddy but he wasn't here. Aunty Aelia got hit in the head and then she wasn't moving anymore. I got scared so I ran here. Everyone's acting so weird"
Shit so now Garrus' aunt is dead too. I'll have to tell him because I doubt that she should do it. I took my shield generator off and put it on Solana. She would need it a lot more than I would.
Since Aria's guys were being destroyed by the ATLAS they advanced. Looking up I saw that they were closing in on me. "Stay here"
I cocked my SMG and got up from cover. I managed to kill quite a few but this fucking gun is useless when dealing with as many armoured hostiles as I am now. Aria laid out a singularity in front of me and caught some troopers. I hit the with a shockwave and the explosion made them fly.
Garrus rushed toward my spot "Nate are you alright…. Solana what the hell are you doing here?"
As she was about to explain herself, I cut her off "Does it really matter. We need to get her and everyone else out of here"
"We've got a plan. Kaidan and Thane are going to create a barrier and everyone will run like hell toward the door." He explained
"What are they waiting for. Let's do it. I can only count 7 people on our side out there."
"I've told Aria and Nyreen. Now we're just waiting for Kaidan and Thane"
As if on cue the two biotics charged out of the entrance leading the non-combatants. They were running very quickly since Steve was carrying Oriana, Rylee was carrying Jade on her back and Sam had Kolyat. Aria, Nyreen, Tali and the rest of Aria's forces joined the group.
We joined in at the back but we didn't have enough time to pick Solana up. She was running as fast as she could. Whether it was the fear or pure bad luck I don't know, but she tripped and the barrier had just passed her.
"SOLANA" Garrus roared. Before I could even turn around he was charging straight toward his sister.
The ATLAS was taking aim at her. My amp was fried so I doubt I could lash her towards me but I still tried. Nothing came out of my hand.
I have never seen Garrus move that quickly in my life. But he wasn't quick enough. The rocket had already been fired. In a desperate attempt to save her life he put himself in the way. The force launched him into the wall.
I began to run out along with Thane but a rocket landed just in front of us and we were sent into the ground. The rocket was closer to Thane and some of the blast hit his chest causing him to cough uncontrollably. That's probably serious lung damage.
While I was disoriented Nyreen ran past the two of us but not before removing the grenades we had on us. She had some explosives on her. Probably from the weapon kit in the next room.
She ran to the two ATLAs MECH's and created a barrier that encapsulated the three of them. She looked to us with a grim smile. "Aria… please make me proud. I will always lov-" she was cut off by the bomb blast.
"NYREEN NO YOU FUCKING FOOL" Aria screamed.
Kaidan lifted Thane on his shoulders and I dragged Garrus into the room. I initiated the lock procedure and jammed it so no one could open it.
"Not a fucking word from anyone. YOU UNDERSTAND" the biotic boss commanded. She used her vicious but calm voice.
I applied medi-gel to Garrus' face. The right side of it took the majority of the blow. Solana was knocked out but still alive. After a minute unconscious Garrus woke up. I had to explain everything that happened.
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Citadel Docking Bay D24 24th July 2189 3:50am CTD
We all silently proceeded toward the docking bay. I took Jade from Rylee since her shoulder was busted. Luckily there were no hostiles between us and the Normandy. I used the authentication codes my mum forwarded me. I climbed the ladder first and pulled those who needed it up.
I found that Liara, Javik, Kasumi, Aleena, Samara, Zaeed Chakwas, Rikki and Rikki's little brother had reached the Normandy. I was glad to see them all alive even Rikki. What shocked me however was that Jack, Miranda, Anderson and my mum still hadn't arrived. Come to think of it a lot of mine and my mums friends aren't here. Wrex, Grunt, Jacob, Kaidan's parents, Tali's dad, Liara's mum, Garrus' dad, Mordin, Legion and Samara's kids aren't here. It just doesn't feel right to leave them behind.
That Joker guy was in the helmsman's seat in the CIC. I told him the situation and then returned to the cargo bay. Thane, Rylee, Garrus, Kaidan, Tali, Liara and Kasumi were all eagerly looking for someone.
Joker wanted to leave since apparently under orders to leave at 3:45. Any who hadn't reached the Normandy were to be left behind. I had to almost beg him to stay for longer. To be honest I don't think he wants to leave, otherwise he would have left by now.
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Citadel Docking Bay D24 24th July 2189 3:54am CTD
I could hear the sound of footsteps hitting the metal grates and I became optimistic. When David Anderson turned the corner and began running I wanted to go nuts. Finally something goes right today
"OVER HERE" I called out at him
But instead of climbing into the Normandy he went straight for one of the shuttle terminals.
From the same corner then slowly came a group of people. Firstly were Kal'Reegar followed by Morinth; however their body language implied they were being held against their will. Then came someone who when I saw them everything just came crashing down.
"NATE DO NOT LEAVE THE NORMANDY UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE" Anderson yelled
Hannah limped towards Reegar and Morinth. If seeing my mum in that state set my head spinning. What I saw next damn near gave me a heart attack
Jack, Miranda and Jacob strolled in toting assault rifles. They each took aim at the heads of Hannah, Reegar and Morinth. They were preceded by at least 10 Cerberus troopers. One man emerged from that crowd and he stood at the front with an arrogant smirk
"Hello David, don't do anything rash" the man in the dress suit advised before calmly removing the cigarette from his lips. That was the guns were cocked. Seeing them like this was seriously confusing me.
"I'm not dealing with you Illusive Man" Anderson stood firm.
"What do you think you're doing at the control panel?" TIM asked
"Turning off the anti-aircraft turrets you have in place" Anderson answered
So if we had left a couple of minutes ago then we would have been shot out of the sky. Maybe that was the real reason why Joker didn't want to leave.
"I'd be more careful were I you David. Life is such a precious resource. I would hate to have to waste it." TIM responded and my friend's guns were cocked. Jacob aimed at Reegar, Miranda at Morinth and Jack at my mother.
"Illusive Man we don't have to do-" Anderson pleaded but with a snap of TIM's fingers Miranda pulled the trigger. Morinth's cold lifeless body fell to the ground. Samara isn't going to be happy.
"I have little patience for you haggling. Give me what I want or the next one dies"
Anderson's will began to waver. "Hey Cerberus dumbass. You may as well shoot me now. No way you're using me for your gain" Reegar dared
"Fine, Mr Taylor please grant our alien friend his wish" TIM ordered and without hesitation Jacob shot the back of Reegar's head.
"NOOOOO!" Tali shrieked. She began crying uncontrollably and Garrus had to bring her in for a hug. I don't know how I'd act if it was Rylee down there. But right now I want to kill every Cerberus asshole down there. My biotics were flaring and my anger was barely being contained
I prepared to charge at them. "NATHAN! WHAT DID I TELL YOU? DO NOT LEAVE THE NORMANDY!"
"Listen to him Nathan. David just let me die. Save my children" My mum pleaded.
I could feel the tears welling up. I would rather die than live without Hannah Shepard. But she would say the same about me. I turned to Anderson. No matter what decision was made it would be on his conscience. He looked up at me and gave me a nod. I know what he's going to do.
He turned around and began to tap at the control panel. TIM sighed and turned to Jack. "Subject Zero. Eliminate him"
Jack moved her gun from my mother and aimed it at Anderson. She shot him in the leg but the stubborn old bastard was still trying to save us. I was about to jump down to help but Zaeed put his hand on my shoulder.
"If you go down there then you will die. You can barely stand right now and you expect to beat that Cerberus squad and kill your girlfriend."
He was right about two things. In top condition I can barely handle fighting Jack, Jacob or Miranda let alone all 3 at once. I was barely standing right now after what I went through to get here even though my body is being flooded with adrenaline. If I go down there I'll just end up dead alongside everyone else.
The second was the fact that I don't think I could ever pull the trigger. I love her even with all this shit that's happening. I know with every fibre of my being that she would never voluntarily help Cerberus with this. Jacob would never shoot Reegar, they were really close.
Anderson slammed a button some of the Citadel power was just shut down. He probably shut the AA guns by doing that. That and the arms started closing. I guess he's trying to make sure that we can't be followed. That and he's making it so we have to leave right now.
After he pressed the button Jen let the bullets fly. The bullets made his chest look like Swiss cheese. He fell to the floor with blood pouring from his mouth.
"ANDERSON!" I cried. Zaeed was preventing me from jumping off the ship to try and fight. I felt a familiar emptiness when his death occurred. My heart began to beat out of my chest and everything was numb. My ears started ringing and my heart was in pain.
All of the advice he'd given me. He was there for me whenever my father wasn't. Anderson came up with my father only he was a couple of years older. He taught me to be a leader. He taught me when to take charge and when to follow others lead. He showed me what was right and wrong. He taught me how to be a man.
Jack moved her gun back towards my mother's head. Illusive Man gave her a nod and proceeded to leave the docking bay.
Just as she was about to shoot when she was sent 10 feet forward. The same went for Jacob and Miranda. Grunt and Wrex picked my mum up and aimed their guns at them. They were hesitating. I still don't think I could pull the trigger.
It was then that someone else showed up. Kelly Chambers jumped from the ledge above them and landed in front of her Cerberus compatriots. She was wearing armour like mine so it was probably Spirit armour. The look in her eye was not at all warm like I've come to expect from her.
She tossed a flash bang in front of the Krogan. Whilst they were blinded she rallied her companions to run away from the scene. The only positive I could possibly take from this was the fact that my mother was alive. Thank god for that.
The doors of the Cargo bay began to close. Whereas everyone else walked back to level ground I remained. The doors closing caused me to tumble towards the Cargo bay. I could feel us moving through the sky.
I started to feel like an extra in my own body. I felt completely detached from myself. My mind was thinking move but my body wasn't doing anything about it. Maybe this is what Thane meant when he said that people can be disconnected. I looked at my actions as though I were someone else
He did a mental count of everyone who he had seen die today or those who caused him pain. Anto, Jaruut, Griz, Dahlia, Morinth, Reegar… Nyreen… Jacob… Miranda…. James… Anderson….. Jennifer.
He began to fully process everything that had happened today. His friends are dead and they aren't ever coming back. Nyreen won't lecture him about my brashness anymore. Morinth won't tell him about her adventures. James won't be calling him in the middle of the night to do fun shit. Anderson won't be there as a surrogate father.
As these thoughts roamed through his head he felt a pain in his left arm. His heart began to hurt like nothing he had ever felt before. The only thing keeping him in touch with reality was the cold and uncomfortable feel of the metal floor.
"Nate!? Nate! Shepard can you hear me? Nate" Garrus hollered right next to his ear but he wasn't reacting.
His heart felt like it was about to blow up. The pain became too much to handle and darkness claimed him
I wasn't sure if he was going to wake up at all or when he would awake. But when he did regain consciousness the situation could not possibly be much worse that it is now.
I knew that if he didn't stop this then everyone he knows would die.
I knew he needed to be at the top of his game
I knew that he needed to be the Nathan Shepard his father wanted him to he
I knew he had to save his friends from themselves
I knew that I was going to succeed. Whether or not I live to see it.
